1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and system for processing calls using virtual interaction queuing over an IP (internet protocol) network.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Conventionally, when a caller places a call to speak with an agent of a company or business, a call center or contact center queues the call. If the requested agent is not available, the call remains connected and the caller receives “comfort prompts.” Comfort prompts may be voice (either recorded or synthesized) messages regarding the unavailability of an agent, voice-recorded advertisements for the business, prerecorded music, etc.
When the agent becomes available, then the queued call is passed to the agent and the caller can speak with the agent. A problem with this type of conventional call waiting process is that the caller is charged with toll costs since the call remains connected while the caller holds for the agent and receives the comfort prompts. If 800 numbers are used, then the call center has to absorb such tolling costs. As a result, this type of call waiting process places undue financial burden on call parties. Further, it can be extremely inconvenient and frustrating for callers to wait for a call pickup or to listen to comfort prompts repeatedly.
A method has been proposed which overcomes at least some of the problems discussed above. FIG. 1 is a diagram depicting this method according to a related art. As shown in FIG. 1, when a caller places a call for an agent of a company in step S2, the contact/call center queues the call in a queue according to the order of receipt, or other information associated with the call such as the dialed number or calling line ID, in step S4. When the agent is not available to pick up the call, this call is then cleared (i.e., disconnected) in step S6.
Thereafter, when the agent becomes available to pick up the call in step S8, the contact center places a callback to the caller so that a call contact between the agent and the caller can be made once again in step S10. This process is known as virtual queuing. A more detailed discussion of the virtual queuing process of a call can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,259,786 issued on Jul. 10, 2001.
In the conventional virtual queuing process as discussed above, since the call is disconnected once the call has been queued for a callback, the problem of incurring toll charges during a call wait is eliminated. Further, since a callback is automatically made to the caller once the agent becomes available, the caller is not inconvenienced by having to hold for the agent and the caller's time is not wasted by being on hold.
Although effective, there are still problems associated with the conventional virtual queuing process. One of the main problems is that contact between the caller and the contact center is completely lost once the call is disconnected until the callback is made. This can result in a loss of valuable customers and business. Furthermore, even if the callback is made, there is no guarantee that the caller will be able to answer the callback since the availability of the caller is not taken into account when the callback is made. In this case, resources can be wasted by placing callbacks to contact the caller. Moreover, callbacks often are made at times that are inappropriate for the caller since the conventional virtual queuing process does not take into account the caller's preferred callback time. This can annoy or inconvenience the caller.
Accordingly, an improved method and system is needed for processing calls which would overcome the above-described problems and limitations of conventional call processing and virtual queuing techniques.